Family Life (1971)

A teenage girl suffers a nervous breakdown.

Director:

Ken Loach (as Kenneth Loach)

Writers:

David Mercer (play), David Mercer (screenplay)

Stars:

Sandy Ratcliff, Bill Dean, Grace Cave

6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sandy Ratcliff	...	Janice Baildon
Bill Dean	...	Mr. Baildon
Grace Cave	...	Mrs. Baildon
Malcolm Tierney	...	Tim
Hilary Martyn	...	Barbara Baildon (as Hilary Martin)
Michael Riddall	...	Dr. Donaldson
Alan MacNaughtan	...	Mr. Caswell
Johnny Gee	...	Man in Garden
Bernard Atha
Edwin Brown
Freddie Clemson
Alec Coleman
Jack Connell
Ellis Dale
Terry Duggan

Storyline

A 19 years old London girl received agressive psychiatric treatments for her schizophrenic behaviour by a doctor who still wants her family to insure the guard of the child without any regards to the facts that it is this family who's agravating her situation.

---

Plot Keywords:

sister | depression | guitar | female police officer | promiscuity | 

---

Taglines:

READ THIS: She's a young woman. Her parents love her and they care how she looks. And when they criticize her, it's for her own good. They can't understand the way she behaves, why she hurts them sometimes. Each day she finds it a little harder to go to work. One day she is found on a subway platform and doesn't know why she's there or where she is going. And when the police bring her home, her parents are embarrassed and they apologize to the policemen. And then 'Wednesday's Child' begins. The need for the truth is a basic human need that our society denies. This film satisfies that need. - Dr. R.D. Laing

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 February 1972 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Wednesday's Child

Filming Locations:

Shenley, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, Kestrel Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Bille August cites "Family Life" as one of his greatest influences.

---

Quotes

Mrs. Baildon: Well, this is the thing that baffles me, Doctor, um, she really was quite a model child, she was tidy, in fact, I used to go into her bedroom some mornings and it-it was so tidy, it really didn't look as if anyone had been in there.

---

Connections

Remake of The Wednesday Play: In Two Minds (1967)

---

Soundtracks

Down by the River
(uncredited)
Written by Neil Young
Sung in the therapy group

User Reviews

Painfully accurate!

I first saw this film a few years back in a graduate school film class and it continues to haunt me with its power. During the initial screening, I actually had to leave the class for some air and collect myself: it struck a nerve that I hadn't felt sense my teenage years: the frustration of being a troubled teenager who was sorely misunderstood. . Most parents like to think of themselves as good parents if they work and put food on the table (which is hard enough in itself.) But that is not enough! Nurturing comes to play as much as being a provider and this is something the parents just don't get. And what's sadder is that they are in a highly polarized environment (1971) between young and old, both sides too quick to assign blame.

As a teenager growing up in the 90s, I experienced some of the same frustrations as the girl in this story and was all too often categorized as a "problem" simply because the adults in my life were "doing the best they could" and therefore there has to be something wrong with me. I was luckier than the girl of this story, who's best hope for salvation is vanquished by a psychiatric bureaucracy that is too concerned about appearances to have the patience to be progressive in their ways and their thinking.

"Family Life" is a rarity. A film that does not get old but can serve as a lesson and a warning to future generations.